Lockheed Martin Corp. is protesting a $64 million Air Force award to Raytheon Co. to produce laser guidance kits for bombs. Lockheed Martin said yesterday it has brought the case to the General Accounting Office because the company showed it could make kits to convert standard bombs to laser guided weapons, and it didn't understand why the award was made to Raytheon. Raytheon has been building the kits for years, but Lockheed has hoped its entry into the field would be welcomed because it would help bring prices down.
Boeing said it has completed low-speed wind tunnel tests on the longer-range 767-400ER, which has the same flying range as the smaller 767-300ER. It has a 15,000-pound higher maximum takeoff weight than the regular 767-400ER and improved takeoff field length, Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily reported.
Gen. Tommy R. Franks, commander in chief of U.S. Central Command, has directed an accident board to conclude its investigation by April 16 into what when wrong in the March 12 accident at Udairi Range, Kuwait, when three bombs were dropped on a observation area, killing six people and injuring seven.
The Mayflower Corp. of High Wycombe, England, announced the creation of Mayflower Aerospace and Rail Systems (MAR) last week. Mayflower has contributed all of the business and assets of Mayflower Technical Services to MAR and has simultaneously acquired Trim Engineering Ltd. from the U.S. company Compass Aerospace Inc. MAR will supply modular design and build packages to aircraft and rail locomotive manufacturers.
Orbital Sciences Corp. was awarded a $56 million contract from the National Space Program Office of Taiwan, Republic of China, the company announced last week. The contract was for the Republic of China Satellite (ROCSAT-3)/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) program. The ROCSAT-3/COSMIC program will use a constellation of six remote-sensing microsatellites to collect atmospheric data for weather prediction and for ionosphere, climate and gravity research.
MYTHS DISPELLED: Despite rumors to the contrary, high-profile Air Force projects such as the F-22 are not diverting funds from space endeavors, according to Maj. General Brian A. Arnold, director of space and nuclear deterrence at Air Force Space headquarters in Washington, D.C. "That's a myth," says Arnold.
LOCKHEED MARTIN Space Systems Co., Michoud Operations, of New Orleans, announced 250 jobs will be eliminated within about two months. The reduction is due to NASA's request for a plan to reduce Shuttle External Tank production from eight per year to six, and its decision to stop funding the X-33 program. Positions to be eliminated will come from all areas. Michoud Operations currently employs 2,420 employees at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SPECTRUM ASTRO has broken ground on a $54 million "Factory of the Future" in Gilbert, Ariz. It is made up of three separate buildings with a 270,000 combined square feet of engineering, manufacturing, test, office and support space. The manufacturing facility provides 115,000 square feet of manufacturing, assembly and test room to build and test up to 20 satellites simultaneously. Spectrum Astro is currently working on space programs including the Space Based Infrared System Low and Orbital Express for the Dept.
Following the completion of a series of operational exercises at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., the U.S. Army's Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) system is ready to begin its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) phase in April. The Operational Tempo (OPTEMPO) exercise in Arizona, essentially a dress rehearsal for IOT&E, used personnel from Shadow maker AAI Corporation, while training Army soldiers on the system. The exercise was a five-day field test that simulated battlefield operations.
HEARINGS, HEARINGS: Capitol Hill will host a bunch of open-to-the-public hearings on aerospace-related issues this week. The Senate Armed Services Committee or its subcommittees will hold sessions on the nation's nuclear stockpile, military installation readiness, the impact of environmental factors on military readiness, and the military strategy and operational requirements of the U.S. Central and European Commands. The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S.
ANDREW CORP. of Orland Park, Ill., has received a contract to supply transportable 3.7-meter C-band Earth station antennas to Globecomm Systems Inc., a leading supplier of end-to-end satellite-based communications solutions. The antennas are part of a multi-million dollar contract awarded to Globecomm by a major international customer. Andrew Corp.'s antennas have tri-fold reflector panels that enable one-person deployment in less than 30 minutes.
READINESS REVIEW: The House Armed Services Committee's readiness panel, chaired by Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), is hitting the road Friday with a Texas field hearing on the "current and future viability of depot-level maintenance and repair." Eighteen people are scheduled to testify at Corpus Christi Army Depot, including Gen. Lester Lyles, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, and Vice Adm. Joseph Dyer, commander of Naval Air Systems Command.
SPACE JUNK: Researchers are taking aim at the increasing threat to manned and unmanned space operations posed by space debris. The third European Conference on Space Debris, which starts today in Darmstadt, Germany, is being hosted by the European Space Agency and will draw experts from all over the world. The British, French, German and Italian space agencies are co-hosting the conference, along with the Committee on Space Research and the International Academy of Astronautics. Researchers will consider techniques for detecting, removing and deflecting space debris.
Lockheed Martin and congressional backers of the F-22 defended the Raptor Friday against new criticism from the General Accounting Office, while analysts split over whether the GAO's report will have any impact on the program's fate.
FIGHTER FATE: The Bush Administration continues to scrutinize the Pentagon's three fighter aircraft modernization programs as part of a comprehensive review of the Defense Dept. President George W. Bush even suggests in recent comments to reporters that axing two of the fighters is within the realm of possibility. "There are three potential fighters, and I think it is realistic for me, the president, to say to people that I'm not so sure we can afford all three.Maybe we can," he says. "But if not, let's pick the best one, and the one that fits into a strategy."
Italy is beefing up its defense capability with an agreement to lease 34 F-16 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force inventory. Italy signed the lease agreement and a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) on March 15 for aircraft support and services. The LOA and lease value is approximately $777 million over 10 years. Delivery of the first planes is scheduled for mid-2003, Lockheed Martin announced last week.
JSF KUDOS: USMC Commandant Gen. James L. Jones reports he has seen nothing but support in the Pentagon for the Joint Strike Fighter, despite President Bush's comments that he's not sure the nation can afford three new fighters. "I think the Joint Strike Fighter represents a panoply of different things to us as a nation," says Jones.
MISSING PERSONS: Several of the seats left empty in the Pentagon following the presidential changeover may soon be filled. President Bush announced he intends to nominate Victoria Clarke to be Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Public Affairs, filling the position left vacant by Ken Bacon (DAILY, March 15). While Clarke served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Public Affairs and Private Sector Liaison from 1989 to 1992 and was press secretary for Sen.
BUT HOW TO PAY FOR IT? Despite reports that Russia's air force is in shambles after years of financial neglect, reports out of Russia say the tactical and technical requirements for the country's fifth-generation fighter are to be approved this month.
RT LOGIC, of Colorado Springs, announced its Telemetrix 505 product has been installed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to serve as part of the downlink telemetry processing for the Deep Space Network. The Telemetrix 505 performs digital signal processing and data routing.
A new business alliance may soon lend a hand to those who are looking to buy satellite equipment but can't make it in person to satellite conferences and expositions, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported. The new partnership involves the London Satellite Exchange, the first online marketplace for the satellite industry, and AstroExpo, an online exhibition hall that hosts virtual booths for satellite manufacturers.
The Boeing Company and its employees have contributed more than $369,000 to relief organizations in India and El Salvador, in response to the earthquakes that struck both countries in January. Boeing's home, Seattle, was recently shaken by an earthquake (DAILY, March 1). Some Boeing facilities were damaged but no employees were injured.
LUMINANT WORLDWIDE CORP. of Dallas has teamed with United Space Alliance, a company owned by the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., to provide information to potential customers regarding sending payloads into space on the Space Shuttle. The companies created a multimedia Web-enabled CD-ROM providing detailed information about the Shuttle's payload program, including its capabilities, benefits and procedures for transporting goods. It includes a look at methods used to monitor payloads, preparation and flying procedures and storage options inside the Shuttle.
MSC.SOFTWARE CORP. of Costa Mesa, Calif., has had several contracts for its simulation software extended by several NASA space flight centers. NASA and its contractors will use MSC.Nastran to identify possible design flaws early in product cycles, reducing time to launch, manufacturing expenses and material costs. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will use MSC.Nastran for analysis of Space Shuttle and X-Plane projects.
CORRECTION: An article in the March 15 issue on a U.S. Navy contract was imprecise. The Navy has ordered from Raytheon additional equipment used in the Aegis Weapons System. Lockheed Martin is the Aegis program's prime contractor.
